He observed that a fresh graduate today commanded nearly the same pay as a graduate more than 10 years ago, in their respective professions, and there had been no increase in productivity among Malaysian workers during the past 20 years.

“While our income has to a large extent stagnated, the cost of living has increased at a rapid pace, partly due to increasing cost and shifting necessities.

“Ten years ago, a handphone and a computer would not have been regarded as a necessity but it’s something any worker cannot do without today. Hence, the burdens of a typical Malaysian worker has increased,” he said.

The situation is further compounded by weak infrastructure, he said.

“The reality is that city dwellers have no choice but to use private vehicles for travel because public transportation is unreliable, unavailable in many highly dense districts and of poor quality,” he said, citing car ownership ratio in Klang Valley is 99:100 (2002), compared to 10:100 in Singapore (2004).

“Hence, Malaysian urbanites face greater financial stress than their comparable Singaporean counterparts because the proportion of disposable income is substantially lower,” he added.

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About Me

I was elected in March 2008, the Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara under the Democratic Action Party (DAP). I'm also the DAP National Publicity Secretary, as well as the investment liaison officer for the Penang Chief Minister based in the Klang Valley.

Before joining politics full-time in January 2007, I was the CEO and founder of a Malaysian IT company, publicly listed in Singapore. I divested all my shares in the company to be able to serve the community and take part in socio-political affairs of Malaysia.

I've always had faith that there has been a guardian angel looking after me all these while - my personal well-being, my education, my career. Some will call it "God's will", some "fate" while some others, "destiny". I strongly believe that it is time for me to repay the kindness and fortune showered on me by my family, the society and of course, not forgetting, my guardian angel. :-)